Citrus Ranch Park opens on Saturday

Citrus Ranch Park, at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway, is opening on Feb. 27, 2010. The park will have picnic spaces, playground equipment and a trail up to Vista Viewpoint at the top of a hill. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

TUSTIN Citrus Ranch Park will open to the public on Saturday, Feb. 27. The city is kicking off the park opening with a dedication and activities for kids.

The park opens at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 with a dedication ceremony. The city will also have activities for children, including crafts, tug-of-war, potato sack races and a scavenger hunt, according to the city.

Citrus Ranch Park is on Portola Parkway between Jamboree and Tustin Ranch roads. The park is the last to be built in Tustin Ranch.

The 17-acre park at 1111 Portola Parkway has a citrus theme, and rows of 869 lemon trees will line the topmost part of Citrus Ranch Park. The groves are among the last citrus groves in Orange County. A shaded, seated lookout point at the top of the hill will give visitors a panoramic view of the city.

In addition to the viewing area, the park has a meadow, picnic tables, ½-mile of walking trails, restrooms and two play areas, a tot lot for children ages 2 to 5 and a playground for children ages 5 to 12.

The park has 108 parking spaces and two walk-in entrances off Jamboree Road and one at Tustin Ranch Road, according to the city.

A trail leads visitors past the two playgrounds and through the lemon groves to Vista View Point, the lookout at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway. From the lookout, visitors will have a view of the mountains, the county and on a clear day, Catalina Island and the ocean.

Though construction finished in November, the $4.4 million park remained closed to give the landscaping time to establish.

Next, the city will be building a 25-acre sports park in Tustin Legacy at the former Marine base.

Citrus Ranch Park, at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway, is opening on Feb. 27, 2010. The park will have picnic spaces, playground equipment and a trail up to Vista Viewpoint at the top of a hill. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The sun shines during an afternoon at the newly-built Citrus Ranch Park at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway in Tustin Ranch. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The hill at Citrus Ranch Park overlooks groves of lemon trees and on a clear day visitors can see the ocean. The park is in Tustin Ranch. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A view of the mountains from Vista Viewpoint, the lookout space at the top of a hill in Tustin's Citrus Ranch Park. A winding path leads up to the gazebo at the top. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Citrus Ranch Park earns its name from the groves of lemon trees in the park at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway in Tustin. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Lemons have fallen from groves of lemon trees and line the walkway to Vista Viewpoint, the lookout space at the top of the hill at Citrus Ranch Park in Tustin. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A covered picnic area stands next to the playground at Citrus Ranch Park in Tustin. The tables are all made from concrete. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A citrus theme decorates a bridge leading from the picnic area to the playground at Citrus Ranch Park in Tustin. Next, the city will start planning parks at Tustin Legacy at the former Marine base. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The bathrooms at Citrus Ranch Park, at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway in Tustin. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A packing crate design was used to build stairs on the playground at Citrus Ranch Park in Tustin Ranch. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The playground at Citrus Ranch Park is decorated with likenesses of citrus packing crates, lemons and a lemonade stand. The park at Jamboree Road and Portola Parkway is opening Feb. 27, 2010. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Chess and checkers tables await players near a picnic area and playground at Citrus Ranch Park. Benches surround three sides of the table so the fourth space is open to wheelchairs. ELYSSE JAMES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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